Ralph served as a Colonel in the US Air Force. He was a proud man, right up until the end of his 90 years on earth. He was also very fond of jokes; both good and "questionable". We shared one, which I would like to share with you.
One morning little Johnny was getting ready to go to town with Mother.
"Johnny, did you wash up?" asked Mother. "Yes, Mother. I washed up as far as possible, and down as far as possible."
"Johnny! Go right back and wash possible!"
So, Ralph and I referred to his private area as "Possible" for the entire nearly 8 months I cared for him in his home until he died.
At the beginning, Ralph was capable of taking a shower and toileting himself. But as cancer took its toll on his body, my help was needed more and more. Because he was a former Colonel, and was simply a proud man, this was difficult for him to accept. Having that silly word, "Possible", made things a little easier.
More on that later - as I re-tell some of the 'Ralph and Martha Chronicles'.
When you are dealing with an elderly or disabled client who has intense personal pride and privacy issues, you've got to be creative. If you find an agreed-upon code word, like we did with 'Possible', you'll find it is less awkward to take care of intimate hygiene routines. If you are a caregiver, whether family or hired, I suggest you think about light-hearted but respectful code words to use with the one for whom you are providing care.
You can imagine the hilarity in the house when AT&T launched their new ad campaign - "Re-Think Possible"
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